Delta Airlines introduces chips for smart luggage

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Delta Airlines announced it will be releasing a new system that uses RFID chips placed on passengers' bags to track their location, NBC News is reporting.

The airline hopes that this will help solve the problem of lost baggage, which costs airlines thousands of dollars per year across the globe.

The system will leverage RFID tags connected to each bag that will be scanned by Delta workers, and notifications of the bag's whereabouts will be pushed to the bag owner via a mobile application. RFID technology has been around for decades and has long been used to track parcels.

Previously, Delta used barcodes to track the whereabouts of baggage. But the new RFID tracking technology is being made available at every Delta counter to be placed on bags around the world. While missing bags have been on the decline recently, experts who spoke to NBC felt as though this would help in the case of a storm where bags are often scattered onboard an aircraft.

Use of the IoT to track assets has been growing lately. Logistics and shipping companies have used sensors to track their assets throughout the supply chain for some time, even using RFID solutions to track their assets. This move by Delta could eventually lead to more airlines following suit and switch from traditional barcodes to RFID chips, if the program is successful.

The growing use of smart luggage is just one small piece of the IoT Revolution, which continues to pick up speed. And when it does, it will change how we live, work, travel, entertain, and more.

From connected homes and connected cars to smart buildings and transportation, every aspect of our lives will be affected by the increasing ability of consumers, businesses, and governments to connect to and control everything around them.

Imagine "smart mirrors" that allow you to digitally try on clothes. Assembly line sensors that can detect even the smallest decrease in efficiency and determine when crucial equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. GPS-guided agricultural equipment that can plant, fertilize, and harvest crops. Fitness trackers that allow users to transmit data to their doctors.

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IoT devices connected to the Internet will more than triple by 2020, from 10 billion to 34 billion. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.

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